Voting machine



Sept. 12, 1939. A, N. GUSTAVSON 2,172,872.

VOTING MACHINE Filed March 26, 1938 gnocnfo'n Patented Sept. 12, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VOTING MACHINE Applicaion March 26, 1938, Serial No. 198,302

Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in voting machines and more particularly to a mechanism adapted to assist voters in unlocking the machines for voting.

The type of voting machine to Which the present invention is applied, is provided with a lever located adjacent the top center of the machine and movable by a voter to draw a set of curtains or other enclosure about a voter and to unlock l0 or release the indicators on the keyboard of the voting machine. The patent of Gillespie No. 995,- 342 illustrates a voting machine of the general type to which the present invention may be applied. In order that a voter may be completely enclosed by the curtains when he has taken a position in front of the keyboard of the voting machine, it is necessary that the curtain operating lever be swung about its pivot from one side of the machine to the other. Substantially at the end of travel in a direction to draw the curtains` and enclose a voter, the lever is adapted to actuate certain elements in the machine which unlock or release the voting indicators. The lever moves comparatively freely until it commences to actuate the indicator release mechanism. From this point to the end of travel, a matter of a few inches, more effort is required to move the lever. It was found that many voters mistakenly believed the machine to be unlocked when the curtains were fully drawn and therefore failed to move the lever the full distance necessary to unlock the voting indicators. Thus, when a voter attempted to move the indicators he found them to be locked and the election oilicial in attendance at the machine was called. If the official was familiar with voting machines and could readily ascertain that the voter had himself failed to unlock the machine by not completing the cycle of movement of the lever, he could give the necessary instructions. In some instances, however, election officials were not familiar with voting machines and it became necessary to call in a repair man to ascertain and correct the trouble. This procedure, of course, 4 took considerable time, temporarily prevented use of the machine, and greatly interfered with and slowed down voting.

'I'he present invention is directed to and has for an object the provision of means for assisting a voter in moving a curtain closing lever the distance required to release or unlock a machine for voting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism adapted to assure a. voters unlocking a machine for use, subsequent to closing the curtains.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of means for moving the curtain closing lever through its nal travel for the purpose of 5 unlocking the voting machine for use.

Other and further objects of the invention will be more fully understood from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and in which: l0

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan View of a voting machine with one modification of the invention applied to the curtain closing and machine unlocking lever thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing the l5 lever in the position occupied when the curtains are closed and the voting machine is about to be unlocked;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Figure 2 showing the lever in the position occupied when the curtains 20 are closed and the machine is unlocked for voting;

Fig. 4 is. a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Figure 1;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Figure 4, and, 25

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 6 6 of Figure 4.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral I0 is employed to designate a portion of a voting machine. The voting machine includes 30 a top II on which is located a reinforcing plate. Within the machine and directly beneath the plate I2 is a further plate I3. Plate I3 is somewhat spaced from the top II, being held in place by pins I4 which are riveted or otherwise secured 35 to plate I2. Concentric openings are provided centrally of plates I2 and I3 and top I I. A shaft I6 projects through these openings and is fitted with a pair of vertically spaced bars Il and I8. The bar Il is formed with a collar I9 and is se- 40 cured to the shaft I6 by a pin 2|. The bar I8 is formed with a collar 22 through which a pin 23 projects to secure it against rotation with respect to the shaft I6. Bars II and I8 are vertically aligned and connected at their ends by 45 means of pins 24 and 26. I'he forked end 2l of a rod 28 engages the pin 24. The forked end 29 of a further rod 3l engages pin 26. Rods 28 and 3l are movable transversely of the machine toward or away from each other as the shaft I6 is 50 rotated. These rods are adapted, when moved, to actuate certain mechanisms in the machine such as, those for recording ballots and resetting the machine for further balloting.

A pair of diametrically opposed openings are 55 made in the plate I3. Concentric with these openings are further openings in the top I I and plate I2. Pins 32, having transverse slots 33, are projected through the openings of plates I2 and I3 and top II. The small ends 34 and 36 of a pair of bars 3'I and 38 project into the slots 33 of the pins 32 and are adapted, under certain circumstances of operation of the device, to move the pins upwardly to project through and above the plate I2.

That portion of the shaft I6 projecting above the plate I2 is adapted to mount a disk 39. This disk may be secured to the shaft I6 by means of a pin 4I that projects through a collar 42 and the shaft. The circumferential edge of the disk 39 is cut away at one point to provide an inclined surface 43. A pair of adjacent openings 44 and 46 are made in the disk and, under certain conditions of operatori, register with one or the other of pins 32, permitting said pins to be elevated by movement of their respective bars 3l and 38. Secured to the plate I2 adjacent the circumferential edge of the disk 39 is a pin 4l. This pin serves as an off-center pivot for an arm 4B. The short end of the arm 48 is fitted with a roller 5I which, being in the same horizontal plane as the disk 39, is adapted at all times to contact the circumferential edge of the disk.

As indicated in the drawing, the upper end of -the shaft I9 projects beyond the disk 39 and is fitted with a lever 52. This lever is secured to the shaft I6 by a pin 53, and is of sufcient length to extend beyond the vertical face of the voting machine. The other end of the lever terminates in a handle 54. Rotation of the lever about shaft I9 is limited by brackets 5S and 5l which are secured in any conventional manner to a cover plate 59 that encloses the mechanism above described. The brackets are recessed to receive and mount resilient blocks 58. A spring 49 connects the arm 43 with bracket 5l and causes said arm to rotate about pin 41 and bring the roller 5I into pressure contact with the edge of the disk 39.

The structural features of the invention having been described, the operation thereof is as follows: When the voting machine is locked and the voter enclosing curtains are open, the lever 52 and disk 39 are in the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. It will be noted that pin 32, operable through movement of rod 3l, is raised and projects up into the opening 46 of the disk 39. Rod 31 is connected with an entrance control knob (not shown) When a voter enters the booth, the election ofcial raises the entrance knob, thus moving bar 3'! downwardly and withdrawing pin 32 from the opening 48. The voter may now manipulate the lever 52 for the purpose of closing the curtains and unlocking the machine for voting. When the lever has moved from the position oi Figure l to that of Figure 2, the curtains are closed. Further movement of the lever from the position of Figure 2 to that of Figure 3 brings the inclined surface 43 of the disk 39 into contact with roller 5I of arm 48. Due to the spring 49, arm 48 rotates about the pin 41 and causes disk 39 and lever 52 to move practically unaided by the voter from the position of Figure 2 to that of .Figure 3. When the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3, the other pin 32 moves upwardly into the opening 44 of the disk, thus locking the lever 52 and preventing a voter from opening the curtains until he has cast. his ballot.

Although applicant has shown and described only one modication of his invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other adaptations thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dened in the hereunto annexed claims.

Having thus set forth my invention what I claim as new and for which I desire protection by Letters Patent is:

1. In a voting machine having a curtain close ing mechanism, manually movable means adapted to actuate said curtain closing mechanism, and further means for mechanically assisting in the movement of said means, said further means bem ing effective when said manually movable means has nearly completed its operation.

2. In a voting machine having a curtain closing mechanism, a manually operable lever on said machine for actuating said curtain closing mechanism, and means on said machine assisting in the manual operation of said lever, said means being released by said lever when said mechanism has closed said curtain.

3. In a voting machine having a curtain closing mechanism, a voter operated lever for actuating said mechanism, a disk joined to and rotatable with said lever, and means adapted to engage said disk during rotation thereof, said means assisting in the rotation of said disk and said lever.

4. In a voting machine having a curtain closing mechanism, a lever on said machine, said lever being manually rotatable to actuate said mechanism, a disk joined to and rotatable with said lever, an arm pivotally mounted on said machine, spring means urging said arm into contact with said disk, said arm being adapted to assist in the manual rotation of said lever at least during a part of the travel necessary to actuate said mechanism to close said curtain.

5. In a voting machine having a curtain closing mechanism, a lever on said machine, said lever being manually rotatable to actuate said mechanism, a disk joined to and rotatable with said lever, a centrally pivoted arm on said machine adjacent said disk, spring means engaged with one end of said arm, and a cam surface formed in the edge of said disk, the other end of said arm being engageable with said surface and, under tension of said spring means, serving to assist in the manual rotation of said lever during at least a part of the travel necessary to actuate said mechanism to close said curtain.

ALVIN N. GUSTAVSON. 

